LAURENTIA’s victory at Lingfield last night was win number four for the filly and her fourth in her last six outings.
The four-year-old daughter of Iffraaj was stepping up to 1m2f for just the second time in her fifteen-race career and she seemed to relish the ten furlong trip under George Downing who gave her a very patient and confident ride.
Drawn four of ten, she was smartly away and fairly keen early on. George soon had her settled in mid-division and nothing was travelling better than her two furlongs out. She made smooth headway a furlong from home and was pushed along to lead along the inside rail and kept on nicely, repelling the late challenge of the favourite, Subliminal to win by a short head. The winning margin was slim in the end but George always looked to be in command and the handicapper will be hard pressed to raise her much for this.
From the family of the stable’s Group One winner, Librisa Breeze, Laurentia will never scale those dizzy heights but she has turned out to be a fabulous purchase for her owners, Doolan, Edwards and Hayes.
The filly is the first foal of her Desert Style dam, Brynica, who won over 1m2f and Laurentia originally went through the ring for 95,000 guineas as a yearling in 2017. In February 2019, the 3yo was re-sold for just 8,000 guineas at Newmarket and what a bargain that has turned out to be.
One of the three owners, Brian Edwards, who wasn’t able to go to Lingfield due to work commitments said: “If you told me four months ago that our horse would win four races this year I would have said you were mad. It was a great feeling to get our first win let alone four and she’s still improving thanks to Dean and all the team. It just goes to show for small owners, you can still get enjoyment from racing even in these times.”
Brian’s words are much appreciated by all at Harper Lodge Farm but they also pinpoint how owning a racehorse can give people so much pleasure, perhaps now more than ever.